Testimonials

What a fascinating journey it’s been to capture and record the history of Emil and Kaia Blom, their children and their children! It’s taken us from Norway to the U.S. by sailing ship and then by ox and wagon through southern Minnesota to a homestead farm in southern Minnesota that became Elmhurst Farm. The journey involved photos, letters, interviews and much more. Thanks to your skills all of this was condensed to a website on a thumb drive that can be passed on to three more downstream generations (and counting). I only wish my mother could have enjoyed this journey with her children and grandchildren. We sometimes wait too long to create a family history.

On a more personal note, we enjoyed working with you on this family history. You kept us moving forward. Without you pushing us a bit, it would have been easy to make an effort like this an ongoing “work in progress.” You revisited our suggestions, accepted some and questioned others. Result: A history that had a good balance of pictures, written materials, and spoken histories, including descendants born and raised on Elmhurst Farm.

In what ways am I pleased with the family history website you produced for us? Let me count the ways:

Your responsiveness – when I sent you an item, you promptly acknowledged receiving it. When I asked a question, you promptly answered. You were amenable to suggestions / corrections.

Your carefulness – when family members gave you pictures or memorabilia, you carefully kept and returned them intact. You would double check the correctness of labels and spellings.

Your efficiency – somehow you managed to keep straight and collate a whole pile of photos and remembrances sent by multiple family members. You managed the duplications and the overlaps to produce a coherent story.

Your engagement – I had the feeling that you were truly interested in our family and its history, and wanted to capture it for future generations.

Your thoroughness – I could see that you had done some independent research to fill in some of the historical context, e.g. finding a photo of a sod house, inserting explanations of terms. You engaged professional videographers to produce polished-looking interviews.

Your formatting – you assembled the host of photos and remembrances in an accessible way, so that with a “click” we could explore various parts of the family history—a specific person, a place, an event. You combined video interviews with printed information (photos and written memories) into a seamless narrative.

Your professional product – I was blown away by the classy box and flash drive that contained the finished story.

I hope other families will avail themselves of your skill and services!

Steve,
I wanted to say “Thank You” for the great effort in working with my Dad, Uncle and me in developing the video remembering my Grandfather, and capturing what a positive impact he had on all our lives. You helped guide us in outlining a great story, and your professional input provided insight on how best to share that in video. All of my family that has viewed the video have complemented it on the high quality of the lighting/sound, and great editing of the story as shared by my Dad/Uncle. I appreciate all you did in helping me; the video captured memories for our entire family and is a keepsake that all will enjoy for many years to come.

It brings joy to my heart every time I watch this with my Dad, and see him smile and laugh. It is amazing how these little things in life can create such enjoyment for others. I could never have done it without your help. I am very grateful and it was a true pleasure working with you.

After seeing the video Steve produced for my in-laws, I couldn’t wait to get his hands on my own parents’ treasure trove of family history and memories. I knew that by enlisting Family Legacy Video,Inc. we would receive a wonderful, beautifully produced, and content-rich video. What I didn’t fully appreciate was the extent to which Steve would capture the details, memories, and emotions that were unlocked all along the way. The final product is much, much more than the sum of its parts, and our family is so grateful for Steve’s production talent, as well as for his incredible ability to capture and distill deeply personal stories. In addition, Steve researched and uncovered images and video we had never even seen before! It was such a treat, for example, to watch a 13-second clip of my grandfather crossing the finish line at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, which Steve found buried in the International Olympic Committee’s Archives. A Family Legacy Video® is a gift that will keep giving for generations to come.